Last Chance
by Eillibsniknej
Summary: Piper is finally starting to realize just how much Paige means to her. The problem is, she may be too late...
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hi everyone, welcome to my new story Last Chance. There are a few things you should probably know before we start. Firstly, this story is around midseason 7, Leo is still a Whitelighter and never became an Avatar, Phoebe is still dating Jason and he knows about magic, Glenn is dating Paige because he never got married to Jessica and Paige is still a social worker. Anyway, please review at the end and tell me if you think I should continue or not! :)_

Alleyway

"_Now this demon is sent to hell."_

The Charmed Ones finished the spell together while Paige quickly threw a potion at the demon's feet. The demon roared before exploding into a million pieces.

"That was easy." Piper stated as she started looking around.

"Too easy." Paige agreed as she did the same.

"Can't we just call it a win and orb home?" Phoebe asked pleadingly. She had a date with Jason in half an hour and she was no where near being ready.

Paige hesitated for a second. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. The feeling that they were being watched. "Are you sure there isn't anything else here?"

"I'm sure, Paige. Just hurry, hurry, hurry." Phoebe said quickly as she stuck her hand out to Paige.

Paige glanced over at Piper who could only shrug in return. Paige reluctantly grabbed Phoebe's hand and Piper's arm before orbing them out.

Underworld

Renzor sat alone in the empty cavern, waiting for his brother to return with food. Kanzor had left over 4 hours ago with their friend, Praeter, and Renzor was getting worried, they had never taken this long before.

Praeter suddenly shimmered into the cavern in front of Renzor.

Renzor let out a relieved sigh and smiled at the sight of one of his best friends. His smile suddenly dropped when he saw Praeter's face.

"What's wrong?" Renzor asked nervously.

"They killed him, Renzor." His voice was dangerously low, anger and hurt seeping through his words.

"What do you mean?" Renzor asked again, even though he knew the answer.

"Those witches killed KANZOR!" Praeter exploded and started throwing energyballs around the room.

Renzor was standing still, almost catatonic. _He's dead. My big brother is dead. Witches killed him. He's gone…._

Renzor and Kanzor were more then just brothers. They were best friends. They looked out for each other, had each other's backs when needed and helped each other no matter what. Renzor looked up to his older bother, he was Renzor's rock. But now, Renzor had nothing. Praeter was great, but he definitely couldn't replace the hole that Kanzor had left.

"We have to kill them." Renzor said clearly.

Praeter turned to Renzor with a pained look on his face. "We can't. The Charmed Ones killed him. It would be a suicide mission." Praeter said sadly

Renzor grabbed Praeter and shoved him against a wall. "I don't care! They killed one of ours, then I will kill one of theirs."

"But Renzor…." Praeter began

"No!" Renzor quickly interrupted Praeter's argument. "I will get vengeance for my brother's death with or without your help. So, are you in or out?"

Praeter hesitated for a second. Finally he sighed, "I'm in."

The Manor, Kitchen, Morning

Piper was cooking breakfast when Phoebe came happily bouncy into the kitchen.

"Either you got into the sugar again or you spent last night with a special someone." Piper teased with a smile.

Phoebe sent a mock glare in Piper's direction. "Cute." She said as she grabbed a muffin and sat down at the table.

"So, which one is it?" Piper asked with a knowing smile.

"Like you don't already know." Phoebe paused as a massive smile grew on her lips. "But it was the second one."

"The second what?" Paige asked as she rushed into the kitchen holding a load of case files.

"Oh, nothing. I was just teasing Phoebe here." Piper said with a smile as Phoebe glared at her.

"Paige!" Phoebe whined in her best baby voice. "Piper is being mean to me."

"She started it!" Piper whined back in an equally babyish voice.

"If you two don't stop this behavior before I get home tonight, you are _both _going in the naughty corner." Paige threatened as she sent a mock glare towards her sisters before leaving for work.

As she left, both Phoebe and Piper burst out laughing.

Underworld

"So Paige was the one to throw the potion?" Renzor asked curiously.

"Yes. Right after all three said the spell." Praeter replied, not quite sure where Renzor was going with this.

"And isn't she half whitelighter?" Renzor asked as his plan started to formulate in his mind.

"Yes, why?" Praeter asked slowly.

"Well, since Paige delivered the final blow, so to speak. I think it's only fair that she is the one that pays the ultimate price. And I think I know how we should do it." Renzor said as he smiled to himself, his plan was perfect.

"What exactly are you planning?" Praeter finally asked, he was worried about his friend. He had never seen Renzor act like this before, but he had never seen Renzor without Kanzor. He had known the brothers for centuries now and he had never seen them apart for longer then a day. It was sad really. He knew Kanzor was Renzor's rock and Praeter wasn't sure how long Renzor would last without him.

"I am going to make them suffer like they are making me suffer. I will make them watch their own sister die. Slowly and painfully. And nothing says slow and painful like a darklighter." Renzor finished with a sadistic grin.

"That won't work." Praeter stated simply.

Renzor's grin quickly turned into a glare. "And why not?"

"Because their whitelighter will just heal her straight after." Praeter pointed out.

Renzor's grin reappeared as quickly as it had gone. "I can make sure that doesn't happen. Have you heard of a darklighter named Reichs?" Renzor continued when Praeter shook his head 'no'. "Well, he has just made a new kind of darklighter poison. A poison that no whitelighter or elder can heal and I think that is exactly what I need. What I love more about this poison is it is slower than the normal poison as well as a hell of a lot more painful. I don't want to give away too many surprises but I will tell you that Paige is not going to die peacefully. I will go get Reichs shortly and I will get him to shoot Paige and then we can just sit back and watch the fun."

"How do you know Reichs will even help you?" Praeter asks suspiciously.

"A while back I saved his life so he owes me." Renzor had a crazed grin splitting his face. "And now, I plan to collect." And with that, Renzor shimmered away.

Manor, Conservatory, Evening

Piper and Phoebe sat opposite each other in the conservatory. Phoebe was typing up the new edition of 'Ask Phoebe' while Piper was doing the books for P3. They both looked up when they heard the front door swing open.

"Marco!" A voice yelled from the foyer.

"Polo!" Piper and Phoebe both yelled back in unison.

A few seconds later, Paige walked in with a few case files in hand. "Hey, guys. How was your day?" Paige asked as she sat down in her own seat.

"Oh you know, all work and no play making the Halliwell sisters kind of boring." Piper said sarcastically.

"I know!" Phoebe agreed with enthusiasm. "At least it's Friday. But still, isn't working such a downer?"

"Tell me about it," Paige joined in. "Today I had to go to work and then when I got home…" Paige paused for dramatic affect. "…There was more work!"

All the sisters started laughing. Lately they had been so busy in their own lives that the only time they had spent together were because of witchly duties.

Piper felt better being around her sisters, they always knew how to make her laugh. The three of them never spent much time together any more. No more sister nights, no more saying up late and eating ice cream, no more conversations about boys and all that other nonsense that Piper loved. She missed those moments. They had become further and further apart ever since Prue died. Piper knew she was partly to blame, she always felt a little awkward around Paige. She just couldn't help it. With Phoebe or Prue she could tell exactly what they were thinking or feeling with just one glance, she could read them like open books. But Paige was shut. Piper could stare at Paige for hours on end and still not know what she is thinking or feeling. It was easier with Prue and Phoebe because they grew up together, but Piper knew that was only an excuse. She had never taken the time to learn about Paige, her baby sister. She didn't know her favorite color, favorite movie, first crush, first love, if she had ever broken a bone(one that Leo didn't have to fix), what kind of music she likes. Hell, she didn't even know her adoptive parents' names. There was so much she didn't know and so much she wanted to learn. She knew it was her own fault she didn't know these things. When Piper had found Paige she had immediately pushed her away, an action she now sincerely regrets. _But it's not too late, _Piper thought determinedly, _you can still make it up to her._

"PIPER!"

Paige's voice snapped Piper out of her thoughts as she saw Phoebe and Paige both staring at her with concerned faces. "What?"

"Piper," Paige began slowly. "You've been staring at me for like 5 minutes now, do I have something in my teeth or what?"

Piper smiled at Paige's odd question. "No, you look fine. I was just thinking that maybe we could have a Halliwell sisters night. What do you say? Movies, ice cream, Pizza popcorn and PJ's?"

"I'm in!" Phoebe cheered brightly, causing Piper to chuckle.

Piper looked over to Paige. She looked like she was thinking something through. _Oh no, _Piper thought to herself. _I hope she doesn't say no! I need her to be there tonight, it just wouldn't be the same if she without her._

"What do you say, Paige? You in?" Piper asked hesitantly.

Paige smiled at Piper. "Of course! I just have to make a phone call first."

Paige stood up from her seat and walked into the kitchen to make a call. Phoebe watched Piper's eyes follow Paige out of the room with a nervous expression on her face.

"Piper?" Phoebe asked softly, causing Piper to whip her head around to Phoebe. "Are you okay?"

Piper quickly plastered a fake smile on her face to cover up her nerves but she was sure Phoebe could see through it. "I'm fine, Pheebs. I'm just gonna go out to the shops to get some food and a couple of movies for tonight. By the time I get back I want you and Paige to be in your pajamas, got it?"

Phoebe nodded slowly, unsure if she should confront Piper about what was bothering her or not. But before she could even ask, Piper was out the door.

_Meanwhile…_

"I'm sorry, Glenn. Yea, I'll see you tomorrow. Okay, Bye!"

Paige hung up and put the phone back in the cradle. They were supposed to be going out on a date tonight but Paige decided to spend time with her sisters. Something in Piper's eyes told her it was important to be here tonight, that tonight was a lot bigger than just some movie night. _I have never seen Piper look that… Desperate before, unless one of us are dead or dying. Oh God, Piper's not dying is she? She did have that doctor's appointment the other day, what if she's sick? What if she only has months to live? No, she would have told us sooner, right? Of course she would! Your just overacting again, Piper's fine._

Paige quickly shook her head to get rid of her strange thoughts before walking back into the conservatory to find Phoebe sitting in there alone.

"Where'd Piper go?" Paige asked as she sat back down in her seat.

"Oh," Phoebe said as she looked up from her column. "She went to go get some stuff for tonight. She said that we have to be in our pajamas before she got back or there would be hell to pay." Phoebe finished with a chuckle.

Paige laughed softly as she got up to get changed when Phoebe's voice stopped her.

"Did you notice anything strange about the way Piper was acting today?"

Paige turned around to see Phoebe's desperate and worried face looking at her. When she saw Phoebe's face she instantly decided to keep her 'Dying Piper' hypothesis a secret from Phoebe, though it worried Paige to know that Phoebe had also noticed that Piper was acting a bit off.

"No, Pheebs. She was fine as far as I know." Paige said in her most convincing voice as she plastered a false smile on her face.

Phoebe nodded slowly. "Okay, just checking."

Paige flashed her one more smile before heading upstairs to change.

Manor, Living room, 10pm

Piper was sat on the couch with a sister on each side. Piper had rented out 50 First Dates and Along Came Polly for them all to watch. She had refused to watch Kill it Before it Dies, much to Phoebe's disappoint. Piper learnt tonight that Paige was more into horror and thriller movies and her favorite movie was Scream.

Piper looked down at her baby sister curled at her side. Paige had tucked her legs up on the couch and was leaning heavily on Piper, her eyes staring tiredly at the screen. Piper could tell Paige was ready for bed but neither of them wanted to ruin the moment. This was closer then they have ever been before. Piper saw Paige's eyes droop before snapping open again causing Piper to smile warmly at her innocent little sister. She knew Paige had a keen sense of what other people were feeling, especially when it came to her sisters. Piper thought it might have something to do with her whitelighter powers. She knew Paige had been worried about her all night and saw that Piper needed her tonight. This made Piper smile even more. _The only reason Paige is still watching this movie is for me._

Piper looked down just in time to see Paige's head droop and then snap back up again. Piper chuckled slightly at the sight.

"Missy Paige?" Piper said sweetly, using her special nickname for Paige to get her attention. Paige's head quickly turned around to face her and Phoebe also looked over at Piper. "I think it's time for you to get to bed."

"I'm fine, Piper." Paige said, though her argument was ruined when she yawned at the end of her sentence.

Piper chuckled lightly. "I know you're tired, Missy. Just head up to bed and go to sleep. We'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"M'kay." Paige mumbled quietly as she stood up and stretched.

Piper watched as Paige raised her hands above her head and stretched dramatically. As Paige did this she yawned again, covering her hands with her face. Piper couldn't help but smile at how cute and innocent Paige looked, she didn't look a day over 16. Piper was starting to realize just how much she really loved her baby sister. She had spent years trying to convince herself that she didn't love Paige, that she was more like a really good friend then a sister. But now she was sure, she definitely loved Paige like she loved Phoebe and Prue. Paige had somehow managed to worm her way into Piper's heart.

Piper watched Paige pull her hands away from her face with a big grin. But then it all went to hell. Piper watched Paige's face suddenly contort in horror at something standing behind where Piper was sitting, Before Piper had time to turn around to see what Paige was looking at, she heard a soft _click…_

_A/N: First chapter and there is already a cliffhanger. Sorry. I know that was a lot of fluff but it will pick up as the chapters go on, I just kind of needed to…. Set the scene, so to speak. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. Should I continue?_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hey! Sorry about the cliffhanger but at least you get to find out what happens now :). As I said in my other story (if you read it), I have internals in Maths, English, Media Studies, Music and History. This means updating will be a bit slow for a while. But I promise I WILL finish any story I start because I hate reading a story just to find out it doesn't have an end. Anyway, Enjoy!_

Manor, Living Room, 10pm

Piper watched Paige pull her hands away from her face with a big grin. But then it all went to hell. Piper watched Paige's face suddenly contort in horror at something standing behind where Piper was sitting, Before Piper had time to turn around to see what Paige was looking at, she heard a soft _click…_

Piper watched as her baby sister crumpled to the ground with a darklighter arrow protruding from her abdomen. She quickly stood up and turned around, ready to blow this demon back to hell. She turned to see a darklighter standing behind the couch with a sick smile on his face. Piper went to blow him up but the darklighter saw this and immediately black orbed out. Piper cursed under her breath, staring at the spot the darklighter had been as if it would bring him back.

Piper's glaring was immediately cut short by an ear piercing scream from Paige. She quickly turned around to see that Phoebe had taken the initiative to pull the arrow out.

"Leo!" Piper yelled as she knelt down beside the shaking Paige.

Leo orbed in as fast as he could. He had heard the panic in his wife's voice and he knew it had to be something bad. When he orbed in he saw Piper and Phoebe kneeling over Paige, a darklighter arrow that was covered in blood on the floor beside them. Putting two and two together, he immediately ran to Paige's side while Phoebe took a step back so Leo had room.

Piper refused to move, she wouldn't until she knew that Paige was okay. She released a breath she didn't know she had been holding as the all too familiar yellow light glowed softly, signifying that Paige was healing. Her wound slowly closed and she took in a deep breath.

"You know, you guys really have to try this sometime." Paige joked as her sisters helped her to her feet. Leo cracked a smile while her sisters just glared at her. "I guess that's a 'Whitelighters only' kind of joke." Paige said when she saw their reactions. Piper and Phoebe glared even harder while Leo burst out laughing.

"That's not funny, Paige." Piper chastised her youngest sister. "You had us really worried."

"It's okay, Pipe" Paige said as she swung her arm around her oldest sister's shoulder. "I'm fine. See? Perfectly healthy. So stop worrying."

Piper continued to glare at Paige until she couldn't hold it any more and broke into a smile. "Fine, be that way. And I thought I told you to stop calling me Pipe!"

"Now why would I do that, Pipe?" Paige said with a smirk causing all four of them to laugh this time.

Manor, Kitchen, Morning

Piper took the eggs off the stove and put them on a plate on the table. She had breakfast ready for everyone when they finally came down from their rooms. This happened every Saturday, it was pretty much the only thing that was put aside all week for family time and everyone knew it.

Piper cooked breakfast and set the table like she did every Saturday. She didn't mind doing it. In fact, it was something she had always been quite proud of. To be able to do something for the family that made her feel like she was doing a good job at being the oldest.

She glanced at the clock, _9:59, Perfect. That means they will all be down shortly._

As if on cue, she heard footsteps plodding their way down the stairs. Piper turned around to see Phoebe and Leo enter the kitchen which caused Piper to smile. Paige was always the last one to get out of bed.

"Where's Paige?" Piper asked with a hint of amusement.

"I believe 'Miss Lazy Ass' is still in bed." Phoebe said as she sat down at the table and reached for some toast.

Piper playfully slapped her hand away. "No, Phoebe. Not until everyone's here."

"Fine then." Phoebe said with a pout. "I will just have to go wake Paige up then."

"No." Piper said sternly as she stood in front of Phoebe. Knowing full well that Phoebe was about to wake Paige up in the worst way she could think of. "I will get Paige. Don't you _dare_ start without us."

Phoebe watched Piper leave the kitchen and head towards the stairs. As soon as Piper was out of the room Phoebe immediately lunged for the toast, much to Leo's amusement. _Phoebe is gonna be in so much trouble when Piper comes back._

Upstairs

Piper rounded the corner of the stairs and started walking down the hallway to Paige's room. She gently knocked on Paige's door.

"Paige? It's time to get up now. Missy Paige?"

Piper opened the door but she was not prepared for the sight inside. Paige was curled up on the floor holding her stomach. Her breathing was coming in the form of short, shallow gasps. Piper was momentarily stunned but she quickly snapped out of it when she heard a small whimper of pain escape Paige's lips.

"LEO!" She screamed as she fell down on her knees beside Paige. "Paige? Sweetie, what's wrong."

"Hurts." Was all Paige managed to whimper out before her face scrunched up in pure agony.

Piper put her hand on Paige's back to try and help comfort her but Paige immediately cried out in pain and flinched away. Piper had never felt so helpless. Knowing that Paige was in so much pain and that there was nothing she could do to help.

Piper looked up to see Leo and Phoebe come rushing into the room. Leo saw what was happening and was instantly at Paige's side.

Piper was hit with a serious sense of déjà vu as she watched Leo try to heal Paige. _This couldn't have anything to do with that Darklighter, could it?_

"Why isn't she healing?"

Phoebe's desperate voice snapped Piper out of her train of thought. She looked down at Leo and Paige to see that Phoebe was right, Paige wasn't healing.

"Leo?" Piper said, her voicing breaking in the middle of her husband's name.

Leo looked up at his distraught wife and desperate sister-in-law. He hated this part. "I don't know. Something is blocking me."

Paige let out another small whimper which caused everyone to turn in her direction.

"Leo," Piper said, taking charge of the situation. "Can you please orb Paige onto her bed?"

Leo nodded silently before doing what his wife asked. He gently touched Paige's shoulder before orbing them both out and reappearing on the bed.

"Leo, go get some water from the kitchen. Phoebe, go get the Book of Shadows. I have a feeling this somehow connected to that damn darklighter that attacked last night." Piper said before turning her attention back to Paige.

Phoebe and Leo silently made their way out of the room to do their jobs. Both knowing that now was not a good time to go against Piper. Piper might have looked strong to everyone else, but they both knew how fragile she could be when someone she loves life is at stake.

Piper looked Paige over and noticed she had relaxed slightly. "Paige? Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," Paige said barely above a whisper. "The pain is slowly fading but it's really hot in here."

Piper's forehead creased in confusion, the room wasn't hot at all. If anything, it was a little bit colder than most rooms in the house. Piper reached her hand out and gingerly touched Paige's cheek. She was despaired to find that Paige was hot, _really_ hot. "Paige, you're burning up." Piper said nervously, her voice laced with concern.

Paige just nodded, not sure what else she could do. The pain in stomach was now just a dull ache and Paige felt all her muscles relax. She let out a sigh of relief and rolled over so she was on her back. Paige looked up at Piper with heavy eyes, not realizing how tired she was until now.

Piper saw that Paige was tired but didn't want her to fall asleep yet. "Paige, sweetie? I need you to stay awake a little longer okay?" Piper asked in a calm tone. She didn't want Paige to know just how scared she was.  
Paige nodded slowly in response. Piper reached over and gently lifted up Paige's shirt. Piper gasped when she saw that a huge black patch had formed on Paige's stomach where the arrow had hit her. Little tiny vein like squiggles growing out from it as it spread across Paige's abdomen. Piper reached out and ran her fingers along it but quickly pulled away when Paige flinched. Paige looked down to see what Piper was staring at and was completely shocked to see the unnaturally dark patch that was growing inside her.

"What the hell is that?" Paige asked with wide eyes.

"I don't know, sweetie." Piper said sadly. She had never seen anything like this before. Piper desperately wanted to offer Paige some words of comfort. She wanted to tell Paige that she would be okay, that everything was going to work out. But she wasn't so sure this time. This was new and dangerous and it was scaring Piper to know that Paige was caught in the middle of it.

Leo came back in the room with a glass of water and stopped dead in his tracks, eyes glued to Paige's stomach. In all his years as a whitelighter he had never seen anything like this before. "Where did _that_ come from?"

"We don't know," Piper started hesitantly. "I just lifted her shirt and there it was. Do you know what it is?"

Leo didn't say anything for a second. He really didn't want his wife to worry any more than she already was. "Sorry honey, I have never seen something like this before. But I'm sure the Elders will know something about it." He walked over to the side table and gently placed the cup down on it. "I'll go check with them now. I'll be back as soon as I can." He bent down and placed a kiss in Piper's hair before orbing away.

Piper shook her head sadly. _The Elders won't know anything, they never do. It's up to us to find a way to help Paige. We can't just sit back and watch her suffer. I'm her big sister, I should have protected her better. I should have stopped the darklighter before he even had the chance to…._

Piper snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a small, frail hand rest lightly on top of her own. Piper looked down to see Paige looking back at her with hopeful eyes. "Don't worry, Pipe. I'm gonna be just fine." Paige said with absolute confidence, leaving Piper no room to argue.

Piper smiled as tears came to her eyes. This is why she loved Paige so much. Her ability to be so smooth and confident in such dire times, the exact same trait that Prue had. It instantly made Piper feel like everything was going to be okay, that there really was no need to worry about it any more.

Piper let out a tiny laugh, _I'm supposed to be comforting her and trying to make her feel better, not the other way around._ "Of course you are! Soon you're going to be as healthy as a horse, I promise."

"And you wouldn't break a promise, would you Pipe?" Paige said with a smirk.

"Never." Piper said, only half joking. Even though they were both acting a bit silly, the serious of the situation was not lost on them. They both knew just how bad this could be.

Just then Phoebe walked into the room with a dark expression on her face. "There's a problem."

"What's wrong?" Piper asked hesitantly, knowing that whatever Phoebe said next would not be good news.

"The darklighter that shot Paige," Phoebe paused as she looked at Paige. Her baby sister's face was flushed and her breathing seemed a little ragged. If anyone saw her they would think she had the flu, but Phoebe knew better. Her little sister was dying and there was next to nothing she could do about it. Phoebe averted her eyes from Paige to look at Piper. "He's not in the Book of Shadows. I couldn't find him in it anywhere."

_A/N: Thank you for reading! I will try and update again soon, it will most likely be sometime this week. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think, feedback really helps. It's hard to fix something if you don't even know it's wrong in the first place! See you next time! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Don't forget to review at the end!_

_**Wyarose: Speaking of great writers, I am a fan of When You Wish Upon a Star. Are you ever planning on continuing it? I would love to know what happens to Paige! And I hope Piper apologizes soon, I think she might explode soon if she doesn't.**_

_**UltimateSka8erXD: Well, if you say so, I will try and make it the best ending I can think of! But while we're on the subject, I would love to read the ending to your fic Long Night and Miserable Rainy Days! It's got a great and original story line and I would love to see were Paige goes after getting kicked out. **_

_**I hope you both update soon! But until you do… Here's an update for this story :D**_

"The darklighter that shot Paige," Phoebe paused as she looked at Paige. Her baby sister's face was flushed and her breathing seemed a little ragged. If anyone saw her they would think she had the flu, but Phoebe knew better. Her little sister was dying and there was next to nothing she could do about it. Phoebe averted her eyes from Paige to look at Piper. "He's not in the Book of Shadows. I couldn't find him in it anywhere."

"What do you mean, Phoebe?" Piper asked as panic seeped into her voice. "He has to be in the book somewhere."

"Well I couldn't find him Piper!" Phoebe snapped in reply.

"Fine then!" Piper said as she headed out of the room. "I'll look for him myself. Look after Paige." She shouted over her shoulder as she headed towards the attic.

Phoebe watched sadly as Piper stomped angrily up the stairs. _You shouldn't have done that! You know she can be sensitive at times like these and you should have been nicer to her._

"Go see if she's okay." Paige's voice cut through Phoebe's thoughts.

Phoebe turned around and looked at Paige sitting up on the bed, looking almost ten times healthier than she did just a few seconds ago. "I can't just leave you here by yourself, what if something happens?"

Paige smiled gently at Phoebe. "I'm fine, it's Piper that I'm worried about. Look, I know you want to go talk to her so just go! I'll be fine by myself for a couple minutes but Piper needs you now."

Phoebe hesitated for a minute before sighing in defeat. "Fine. But if you need anything, Promise me you'll yell?"

Paige nodded enthusiastically and put her hand over her heart. "Scouts honor."

Phoebe laughed and shook her head before leaving the room. She walked up in to the attic and saw Piper flipping furiously through the Book of Shadows.

"Piper?" Phoebe asked tentatively to get her attention.

Piper's head immediately snapped up to see Phoebe standing opposite her. "Phoebe? Why are you here? Who's watching Paige?"

"Calm down, Piper!" Phoebe said slightly louder than necessary to get her sister to slow down. "Paige is fine. I just wanted to come up here and see if you were okay?"

"I'm fine." Piper snapped a little too quickly. Phoebe immediately gave her that 'I-Don't-Believe-You-Tell-Me-What's-Really-Going-On look' and Piper caved. "Well, not really. I'm just really worried about Paige. We have never come across something like this and I can't…. I can't lose anyone else."

Phoebe saw that Piper's eyes were shining with unshed tears. She quickly walked around the Book's pedestal and wrapped her arms around her older sister. "Piper, Paige is strong, stronger than you give her credit for. She will be better in no time."

"How do you know?" Piper asked desperately.

Phoebe sighed. "I don't. But we will do _everything_ humanly and magically possible to help Paige, okay?"

Piper nodded her head weakly. "Do you think…." Piper looked down and trailed off.

This worried Phoebe. The insecurity and vulnerability in Piper's voice was something Phoebe hadn't heard since Prue had died. "What were you going to say Piper?"

"Do you think I'm… That I'm a…. Am I a bad big sister?" Piper finished weakly.

Phoebe gasped, completely shocked by Piper's question. "No! Of course I don't! Why would you even have to ask?"

"I screwed everything up with Paige!" Piper screamed as she ripped herself out of Phoebe's arms. "There seems to be this huge barrier between us and it's my fault it's there. I have never even tried to get to know her, Phoebe! She's supposed to be my baby sister and I hardly know the first thing about her! I treated her like an outsider, like she didn't belong and now she must think I'm a horrible person. I can't let her die thinking that. I have to help her." Piper had tears blurring her vision but she approached the Book, still determined to find _anything_ to help Paige.

Phoebe rewrapped her arms around Piper, her own eyes now flooded with tears at her sister's confession. "Piper, Paige loves you more than you will ever know. She looks up to you and listens to you. You're her big sister Piper and _nothing _trumps that."

Piper sighed sadly. "Phoebe, just go look after Paige. I'll be down when I've found something."

Phoebe shook her head in defeat and started heading back down stairs. She paused in the attic doorway, "Tell her how you feel, Piper. I guarantee she will say exactly what I said." And with that, Phoebe left the attic.

Piper ran her hand through her hair as she tried to stem the flow of tears streaming down her cheeks.

Phoebe walked into Paige's room to see her baby sister sitting up on her bed flicking from one tv station to another, looking as healthy as ever.

"Paige?" Phoebe said as she approached the bed. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Oddly enough, I am." Paige said as she turned off tv. "One minute I felt like I was going to explode and then I suddenly felt fine."

"This can't be good, can it?" Phoebe asked sadly.

Paige smiled kindly at her sister. "I'm going to be fine, Pheebs. Look, how about I stay home for a couple of days to make sure that everything's okay and if something happens we'll go from there. Sound good?"

Phoebe gave a genuine smile at Paige's positive attitude. "Sounds great. Now we just gotta tell Piper our plan. Can you stand?"

"No Phoebe, I broke my legs when I sat down." Paige said sarcastically as she got off the bed.

Phoebe playfully smacked Paige's arm. "Okay then Smartass, Piper's in the attic." She said before leaving for another trip to the attic with Paige obediently following behind.

"Piper?" Phoebe announced as she walked into the attic. "We need to…"

"Dammit Phoebe!" Piper quickly interrupted. "I thought I told you to stay with Paige!"

"Then she's right were she should be." Paige retorted as she also walked into the attic.

"What are you doing out of bed, Paige? You're sick, you should be resting." Piper said angrily.

"That's the thing Piper. I don't feel sick anymore." Paige said trying to calm her oldest sister down a bit.

"What do you mean?" Piper demanded as she stared at Paige. Piper noticed that Paige didn't look sick at all, not like the Paige she had left downstairs ten minutes ago.

"I mean that I feel fine now but I'm not sure why." Paige said as she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for what was happening.

"Do you think it will last?" Piper questioned cautiously. She knew the answer, she was just hoping it wouldn't be true.

Paige's eyes immediately dropped to the floor. "I don't think so, Pipe." Paige mumbled out sympathetically. She really didn't want to upset Piper anymore than she already was but there was no point lying to her.

Piper let out a long slow sigh. "I can't find the Darklighter in the Book anywhere." Piper admitted with an apologetic glance at Phoebe who gave a slight smile in return, showing that she got Piper's silent message.

"What else can we do then?" Phoebe asked just above a whisper.

"His name is Reichs." A familiar voice chimed in from behind Piper. They all turned to see Leo standing proudly behind them. "The Elders said that has been trying to make a new kind of poison that can't be healed by the Elders or any Whitelighter. Looks like he finally succeeded."

"Well goody for him." Piper chimed in sarcastically.

"_Anyway_," Leo continued, ignoring Piper's comment. "There's talk in the underworld that someone hired Reichs to kill Paige."

"So if we kill Reichs, Paige is healed?" Piper asked hopefully.

"Not quite," Leo cringed as he watched the hopeful smile drop off his wife's face. "Apparently, the only way to get the poison out of Paige is with the antidote."

"What antidote?" Phoebe questioned as she went to stand by Piper's side.

"The Elders said that Reichs is the only one with the antidote that will cure Paige. You need to get to him, get the antidote then kill him so this never happens again." Leo finished with a smile as he watched determination set on all the sisters' faces.

"Wait," Paige said as her face fell. "What about the guy that hired Reichs? Do they know who it is?"

"All they know is that the demon that hired him wanted revenge." Leo said quietly. He hated giving the sisters bad news but he had complete faith in them. He knew that somehow they would fix this and save Paige.

"Well that's okay, we can just 'ask' Reichs to tell us who hired him." Piper said triumphantly, glad that she could finally had something to do. "Pheebs, can you write a summoning spell for Reichs?"

"Of course!" Phoebe replied enthusiastically.

"And Paige… Oh my God, Paige!" Piper yelled as she sprinted across the room to her fallen sister…

_A/N: Well, I know how much everyone loves cliffhangers so I'm going to leave it there. I know, you probably hate me write now :). Anyway, please don't forget to review! I would love to know if I'm screwing this up or not! Don't be afraid to tell me what you really think. :D _


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I know I said I was going on hiatus but I made a deal with someone whose story I like and they promised me that if I updated, then so would they. So here I am and here is the continuation from last chapter._

Manor Attic

"Wait," Paige said as her face fell. "What about the guy that hired Reichs? Do they know who it is?"

"All they know is that the demon that hired him wanted revenge." Leo said quietly. He hated giving the sisters bad news but he had complete faith in them. He knew that somehow they would fix this and save Paige.

"Well that's okay, we can just 'ask' Reichs to tell us who hired him." Piper said triumphantly, glad that she could finally had something to do. "Pheebs, can you write a summoning spell for Reichs?"

"Of course!" Phoebe replied enthusiastically.

"And Paige… Oh my God, Paige!" Piper yelled as she sprinted across the room to where Paige was now on the floor, unconscious.

"Leo?" Piper yelled pleadingly as she fell next to her fallen sister's side.

Leo calmly bent down beside Paige and checked her pulse. He watched both of the sisters let out a relieved sigh when he nodded his head. Paige was still alive. _But for how much longer?_ A worried voice spoke up in the back of his head. He gingerly picked Paige up and walked her over to Aunt Pearl's couch, placing her down gently as Piper and Phoebe walked up behind them.

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Piper asked sadly as she let her eyes wonder over Paige's unconscious form.

"I'm sorry, Piper. You know the only thing that will help her now is the antidote." Leo said soothingly as he wrapped his arms around his wife.

"Then we stick with our original plan." Phoebe spoke up calmly, trying to stay strong. "I'll write the summoning spell and get what we need from the kitchen." As soon as she had finished talking, Phoebe quickly turned and headed downstairs.

"And I'll head back Up There and see if there's anything else that could help. Are you okay to stay with Paige?" Leo asked as he released his hold on Piper.

"Yea," Piper whispered quietly before clearing her throat and trying to sound more composed. "Yes, I'll be fine. You just go see if there is anything else."

Leo gave his wife a small, sympathetic smile before orbing out.

Piper grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around Paige before pulling up a chair next to the couch. She started to lightly stroke Paige's hair causing Paige to stir and groan, but not wake up. She lifted Paige's shirt up and was despaired to find the black ball had gotten bigger since the last time she saw it. Piper gently placed her hand on it but quickly jumped out of her seat when Paige cried out in pain.

"Piper! What the hell are you doing?" Paige ground out through clenched teeth.

"Paige! You're awake!" Piper announced, a mixture of confusion and happiness in her voice.

"Yeah, thanks for the update." Paige replied sarcastically. "What happened?"

"We're not quite sure yet, sweetie. You just kind of… collapsed." Piper said calmly, trying not to freak Paige out.

"Then how did I get up here? The last thing I remember is vanquishing that demon in the alley." Paige asked as she looked around confused. "And why is it so damn hot in here?"

"What did you just say?" Piper asked shocked.

"It's hot in here?" Paige asked confused and slightly worried by Piper behavior.

"No, what did you say before that?" Piper clarified.

"The last thing I remember is vanquishing the demon?" Paige said.

"Is that seriously the last thing you remember?" Piper asked worriedly as he placed a hand on Paige's forehead.

"What's going on, Piper because I have got to say you are starting to freak me out." Paige snapped as she tried to push Piper's hand away.

"Paige, just calm down, okay? You feel warm so I'm going to go and get the thermometer from the bathroom. Just stay here and don't move, I'll be back in a minute." Piper said soothingly before she got up and walked out.

"Piper, wait!" Paige fell back on the couch and let out a grunt of frustration. She hated being left in the dark and the pain in her stomach wasn't helping. Paige lifted the blanket off her to look down at her abdomen and gasped when she saw the poison ball. She gently touched it but had to bite back a scream when pain shot through her. Paige was starting to panic when Piper walked back into the room.

"Piper! What is this… _thing_!" Paige asked with wide eyes.

Piper immediately rushed to Paige's side. "It's okay, Paige. Just calm down."

"Calm down! Are you serious?" Paige exploded. "There's some black ball of God knows what growing inside of me and you want me to calm down!"

"Paige, just take a breath, okay?" Piper pushed Paige back onto the couch before continuing. "Last night, a darklighter named Reichs shot you with an arrow. Do you remember that?" Paige shook her head no. "Well, long story short, he poisoned you and now we are trying to get the antidote. Now open up so I can take your temperature."

Paige reluctantly opened her mouth for Piper. After a few seconds it started beeping and she pulled it out.

"102.9." She said with a frown.

"Don't worry, Pipe. I'm gonna be just fine." Paige said with as much confidence as she could muster. She frowned slightly when Piper started chuckling. "What's so funny?"

"You already told me that today, with the exact same words and in the exact same tone and everything." Piper said with a smile.

"And here I thought I was being original." Paige replied with a smirk.

"Paige! You're awake!" Phoebe exclaimed as she walked into the attic.

"You are so observant, Phoebe." Paige said sarcastically.

"Still a smartass I see?" Phoebe joked as she placed a few potion ingredients on the table.

"Always." Paige replied with a smile.

"Anyway, I have the spell. All I need to do is make the potion and then we can summon Reichs here and kick his ass back to whatever hell hole he came out of." Phoebe said before heading over to the burner to make the potion.

"Hear that, Missy Paige? You're gonna be good as new in no time." Piper announced with a smile, though on the inside she wasn't so sure. This was easy and their lives were never easy. Something just didn't feel right to Piper.

"Never doubted it for a…" Paige trailed off as her words turned into a long and violent coughing fit.

Piper immediately burst into action and ran downstairs to get Paige a glass of water. When she came back she started rubbing Paige's back in hopes that it would help calm her. To Piper's relief, it worked and Paige's coughing slowed down until the stopped completely. Piper then carefully helped Paige take a few sips of water and lie back down again.

"Thanks." Paige mumbled hoarsely as her eyelids started to droop.

Piper noticed that the coughing fit had taken most of Paige's energy but Phoebe looked as if she was almost done with the potion and she needed Paige to say the spell. "Paige, sweetie, I know you're tired but we need you to say the spell and vanquish the demon so we can cure you and then you can sleep all you want, okay?" Piper insisted as she saw Paige was about to doze off.

"Yeah, whatever." Paige murmured as she sat up in a seated position and put her head in her hands. Paige felt as if her stomach was on fire and her head was about to explode but she really didn't want to worry her sisters. She knew there was nothing they could do to help her so why bring it up? She could see that they were both trying to be strong for her. Unfortunately, their eyes gave away just how worried and scared they were and Paige wasn't about to make this worse for them than it already was.

"How's the potion coming?" Piper asked nervously as she shifted her worried eyes from Paige to Phoebe.

"It's done, just vialing it up now." Phoebe informed triumphantly as she filled the last potion vial with the dark blue liquid.

"Great! Paige, you ready?" Piper turned to see that Paige was still lost in her own world. Piper gently placed her hand on Paige's shoulder causing her to jump slightly and look up at Piper.

"What?" Paige asked with a confused expression.

"The potion is done. Are you ready to vanquish some demon ass?" Piper asked enthusiastically.

"Let's do this." Paige said as she stood up. She swayed slightly on her feet but Piper quickly steadied her.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Piper asked skeptically.

"I'm fine. Let's just get this done quickly because my head is killing me." Paige joked but Piper could also see the pain hidden in her eyes.

"Okay then. Phoebe, you ready?" Piper asked as Phoebe approached with three pieces of paper and three vials.

"Sure am." Phoebe said as she handed everyone a piece of paper and a vial.

"Alrighty then, let's do this."

_A/N: Not my best work but what'd ya think? Good? Bad? Awful? Please review and tell me, it would make my day. And **Wyarose**, update soon ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

Manor Attic

"The potion is done. Are you ready to vanquish some demon ass?" Piper asked enthusiastically.

"Let's do this." Paige said as she stood up. She swayed slightly on her feet but Piper quickly steadied her.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Piper asked skeptically.

"I'm fine. Let's just get this done quickly because my head is killing me." Paige joked but Piper could also see the pain hidden in her eyes.

"Okay then. Phoebe, you ready?" Piper asked as Phoebe approached with three pieces of paper and three vials.

"Sure am." Phoebe said as she handed everyone a piece of paper and a vial.

"Alrighty then, let's do this." Piper said with more confidence than she felt

"Okay, well this is the summoning spell." Phoebe said holding up the piece of paper. "And this is the specially made Reichs vanquishing potion." This time she held up the vial.

All together, they read the spell out loud. A cold wind blew through the attic before a bright flash blinded them all and they had to look away. When they looked back, a very confused darklighter stood in the middle of a crystal circle.

"It worked!" Paige exclaimed as her eyes landed on the darklighter.

"You doubted me?" Phoebe replied sarcastically.

Piper remained silent, staring at the _thing_ that had hurt her baby sister. That was _still _hurting our baby sister. Piper had never wanted to blow anything up this badly in her whole career as a witch. But she remembered what was more important right now, and that was getting the antidote to cure Paige. Then she could blow him all the way back to Hell.

"How did you do that?" Reichs asked still confused. He saw the crystals on the floor and gingerly tested his new cage. A jolt of electricity shot up his arm and pain spread through his body. _Well, it works, _he thought bitterly.

"We're the Charmed Ones, we can do anything." Phoebe replied cockily.

"Oh really?" Reichs taunted. "Because Paigey there looks a little under the weather."

"Where's the antidote." Piper snapped.

"What makes you think I have it?" Reichs replied as he sat down casually on the floor as if this was a normal conversation.

"You made it, didn't you?" Paige asked tentatively.

"What, you don't remember me?" Reichs taunted with an amused smile.

"Cut the crap! Where is it?" Piper asked angrily.

Reichs pretended to search his pockets before looking at the sisters in mock horror. "I'm terribly sorry, I must have left it at home."

Piper was seething. Her sister's life was in danger and he was making jokes? "Give us the antidote or I will blow off every appendage of yours I can see."

"Since when do you care about what happens to little Paigey? You usually treat her like she has a disease or something. Which is ironic because now she actually has one." Reichs laughed at his own joke while Piper stared at him with shocked eyes.

"I never treated Paige like that!" Piper defended herself.

"Oh, you didn't?" Reichs stood up so that he was eye level with Piper. "So you never ignored her? Never acted like you didn't want her there? Never tried to push her away? You never said and I quote 'I'm not remotely interested in reconstituting the Charmed Ones'? You're right Piper, you are the perfect sister." Reichs smiled triumphantly at Piper's shocked expression. "You may not have seen me before but I have been watching you three for years and I have seen some pretty interesting things. To be honest," Reichs turned and looked at Paige. "I'm surprised you haven't left yet."

"_Where is the antidote?_" This time Phoebe snapped at Reichs, angry at the way he was treating the people she loved.

Reichs completely ignored Phoebe and kept all of his attention on Paige. "It's painful, isn't it? It's like someone's constantly smashing your head with a sledgehammer. And your stomach feels like it's being twisted by an unrelenting claw that just loves to hurt you. You're going to get so hot that you'll feel like you're on fire. Your entire body will feel like it's about to explode and the pressure keeps building and building until…"

"Stop!" Piper yelled at Reichs but he plastered an evil grin on his face and kept looking straight at Paige.

"It's only going to get worse, you know. Soon you're going to be in so much pain that you can't even remember your own name. Your whole world will become nothing but agony and you will _beg _for death."

Piper couldn't take it and raised her hands, aiming them straight at Reichs.

"Piper, don't!" Phoebe pulled Piper's arms slightly, making her blow off just one Reichs' arms.

He looked at the stump that used to be his arm and just started laughing maniacally as if it was only a slight inconvenience. "Even if I wanted to give you the antidote, I wouldn't be able to."

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked warily, tired of the games.

"I am no longer in possession of the item you seek." Reichs announced in a matter of fact tone.

"Then who the Hell is?" Piper snapped.

"The demon that hired me to shoot Paigey here in the first place." Reichs said, sending a disturbing smile Paige's way in the process.

"And who would that be?" Phoebe asked knowing that she probably wouldn't get a straight answer. She wasn't disappointed.

"He was about 6 ft, short brown hair, rock solid abs. He's just so dreamy and just your type Phoebe, a demon!" Reichs said with a straight face. Eventually his face broke into a smile and he started laughing again and all three of them were thinking thee same thing.

_This demon is insane._

"A name would be good." Piper stated simply, refusing to play a long with the demon's ridiculous game.

"Well, you see, I have a bad memory. What was his name? Razor? Rinor? Rainer? Raylor? I don't know ladies, I just can't seem remember." Reichs still had the sick smile plastered on his face as he talked.

"Well you better remember in the next 5 seconds or your other arm is going as well." Piper warned sternly, completely ready to carry out the threat.

"I do remember something." Reichs paused as if he were in deep thought. "The demon that hired me has a friend called Praeter. He will probably know who you have to talk to if you want to get that antidote you're looking for."

"Praeter?" Phoebe asked skeptically

"The one and only." Reichs replied with a grin.

"Why don't you just make us another antidote?" Phoebe asked.

"Alas, I have given the recipe to the demon whose name escapes me. He is the only one who can make it now." Reichs said with mock sorrow in his voice.

"Well, then I guess we don't need you any more." Piper stated with a hint of happiness.

"You're right." Reichs said before he bowed to the Charmed Ones. "It's been a pleasure."

"Enough." Piper said before she threw her potion with accuracy, hitting the floor just at Reichs' feet.

"Get well soon." He said to Paige. He started laughing again before exploding into nothing. His laugh rang through the air for a moment before dissipating as well.

"That was one of the weirdest demon I have ever seen in my life." Phoebe stated, still staring at the spot on the floor that used to be Reichs.

Piper slowly turned to look at Paige who was swaying on her feet, her eyes out of focus. "Paige?"

Paige showed no sign of hearing her older sister. Piper approached her cautiously and placed a hand on her shoulder, making Paige jump in surprise. "Paige? Are you okay?"

Paige cleared her throat before talking. "Yea, I think I just need to sit down."

As if on cue, Paige's legs gave out from underneath her and Piper had to catch her before she collapsed to the ground. Phoebe quickly hurried over and helped Piper lay Paige down on the couch. Both of them remembering Reichs' words in their heads.

_It's only going to get worse._

_A/N: Thank you for reading and sorry it took so long to update. It is the holidays now so I will have a lot more time to write and what not now :). Anyway, Please Please Please review and tell me what you think because it really helps me know if I'm doing things right. Feel free to tell me any ideas you have or if you want to see something happen that isn't._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Sorry this took so long, been a bit busy lately. But, it's here now so enjoy :D_

Manor Attic

"Paige? Are you okay?"

Paige cleared her throat before talking. "Yea, I think I just need to sit down."

As if on cue, Paige's legs gave out from underneath her and Piper had to catch her before she collapsed to the ground. Phoebe quickly hurried over and helped Piper lay Paige down on the couch. Both of them shared a silent look over Paige's head while Reichs' words were running through their heads.

_It's only going to get worse._

"Go look up Praeter." Paige's weak voice broke them both out of there thoughts. Phoebe reluctantly left Paige's side and headed towards the book.

Piper draped a blanket over Paige and at the same time her eyes scanned her younger sister. No matter what Piper did, she just couldn't stop Reichs' words from haunting her. _It's painful, isn't it? It's like someone's constantly smashing your head with a sledgehammer. And your stomach feels like it's being twisted by an unrelenting claw that just loves to hurt you. You're going to get so hot that you'll feel like you're on fire. Your entire body will feel like it's about to explode and the pressure keeps building and building until…_

In a way, Piper was glad that he never got finish his sentence. In fact, she didn't _ever_ want to know what would happen after that. And with every fiber of her being, Piper was sure as hell not going to let Paige experience it. "Paige?"

"Yeah, Pipe?" Paige answered with as much strength as she could muster. Unfortunately, that wasn't much.

"Are you in any pain?" Piper asked even though she had a feeling that she already knew the answer. She also knew that Paige was too stubborn to admit what she was truly feeling. _Must run in the family…_ Piper thought glumly.

"Not really." Paige's voice rasped.

Piper raised her eyebrows at Paige to show her that she didn't believe a word of what her younger sister just said.

Paige let out a slow, long sigh. "I've been better, but it's really not as bad as Reichs said it was."

"But it will be…" Piper whispered sadly while avoiding Paige's eyes.

Paige saw how much all this was hurting her sister and that hurt her more than any demon could. Paige had made a promise to herself a while back that she would do _anything_ in her power to stop either one of her sisters from getting hurt, physically and emotionally. And right now she was breaking that, very important, promise. She gingerly reached out with one hand and pulled Piper's chin up until their eyes connected. "Don't worry so much, Piper. You'll get wrinkles. Besides, we'll fix this before it gets that far." Paige said in a cheery voice. Well, as cheery as she could make herself sound under the circumstances.

Piper gave Paige a watery smile. "You're right." Piper announced with confidence, despite the tears that were slightly clouding her vision. "It's not going to get that far because I'm not going to let it get that far. I promise that you will be up and orbing before you know it. Okay, Missy Paige?"

Paige let out a tiny chuckle before nodding her head. "Thanks, Pipe."

"Anytime." Piper announced while leaning in to kiss Paige on the forehead.

Phoebe watched the scene with tears in her eyes._ It' so good to finally see Piper acting more sisterly towards Paige, especially if she's not going to… No! Don't think like that, Phoebe! Paige is going to be just fine after you find this Praeter guy in the Book and get him to tell us where his friend is. Then Paige will have the antidote and everything will be fine. It has to be… _Phoebe shook her head to clear the unwanted thoughts before once again focusing on the book.

Unknown to the sisters, another person was watching the scene as well. Full of anger, Praeter shimmered away from the manor and back to the underworld and Renzor.

Underworld Cave

Renzor looked up to see Praeter shimmer in. He immediately jumped up from his seat to greet his long time friend. "Praeter, did it work?"

Praeter nodded. "The youngest was hit with the arrow. Now, she lies dying on the couch in their attic with her sisters at her side."

"Perfect," Renzor announced with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Now they have a front row view of their sister as she suffers."

"There might be a slight problem though, Renzor." Praeter said barely above a whisper, not wanting to anger the demon any more than he already was.

"And what might that be?" Renzor asked, making no effort to hide the annoyance he was feeling.

Praeter swallowed hard, unsure if he should be telling Renzor this, but it was too late to stop now. "Reichs, the darklighter you hired, was captured by the Charmed Ones."

"Did that little worm give them my name?" Renzor sneered.

"No," Praeter hesitated for a second, regretting the fact that he brought this up in the first place. "He gave them mine."

Renzor just stared at the demon in front of him for a couple of seconds, contemplating his next move. Praeter was like a brother to him, and after just losing Kanzor, Renzor was unsure if he could deal with losing Praeter as well.

"Find a sorcerer and get him to put up something that will keep you safe from the witches' magic." Renzor snapped after about a minute of silence before storming out of the chamber.

Praeter let out a sigh of relief as Renzor left. He took a moment to compose himself before leaving to find a sorcerer that could help him.

Manor Attic

Piper approached Phoebe, who was still flipping through the Book of Shadows. "Find anything yet?" Piper asked, making her presence known to Phoebe.

Phoebe's head snapped up at the sound of her sister's voice. "Not yet. How's Paige?" She asked before she returned to flicking through the book, looking for the one demon at the moment that could help them.

Piper's gaze drifted over to the youngest Halliwell. "She's asleep right now, but she's definitely getting worse."

Phoebe's eyes flicked back up at that statement and they found their way over to Paige. Even though she was asleep, it was still painfully obvious that something was very wrong. A light sheen of sweat was covering Paige's face, she tossed and turned slightly and her eyelids kept fluttering slightly as she let out a low murmur or a pitiful moan every so often. The sight weighed heavy on both of their hearts. Phoebe went back to flipping through the book with a renewed vigor, trying to find the demon that could stop Paige's, and even Piper's, suffering.

Piper walked back over to Paige and placed a cool, damp cloth onto Paige's forehead in an attempt to bring her ever rising temperature down. The poison that was working its way through Paige's system seemed to be playing with them. One minute it looked as if Paige was going to drop dead but then the next minute Paige looked completely fine. And just when they thought Paige might have fought off the poison, she was back to being extremely ill. Piper was starting to find this cycle infuriating, she kept getting her hopes up just to have them crushed again and again in one of the worse ways she could have possibly imagined. Piper thought that once they had talked with Reichs they would be a lot closer to having the answers they needed to make Paige better. But it seems that Reichs' visit raised more questions than it answered. Piper continued to stare almost blankly at Paige, as if waiting for a miracle. And for once in her life, that's exactly what she got.

"Hey, Piper." Phoebe's excited voice chirped from behind her.

Piper's head snapped around to see that Phoebe was gleefully eyeing the book. "What?"

"I found him."

_A/N: Don't forget to review! Tell me what you think (Constructive criticism is definitely welcomed). It's great as a writer to get as much feedback as possible so just do me this one small favor and I promise I will update again soon. That's not an ultimatum by the way, I'll update no matter how many reviews I get but you know, you scratch my back…. _


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I am sooooooo sorry for taking so long to update I have so much school work to do I'm practically drowning in paper!_

Manor, Attic

"Hey, Piper." Phoebe's excited voice chirped from behind her.

Piper's head snapped around to see that Phoebe was gleefully eyeing the book. "What?"

"I found him." Phoebe announced as she continued to read over Praeter's entry in the book.

Piper allowed a small smile to play across her lips. She let the thought in that maybe once, just this one time, things would go their way and getting the antidote would be easy. Piper knew that she shouldn't get her hopes up. Ever since she became a witch, things started to be far from simple and easy. Even non-magical things like having a job, getting married and even having children had suddenly become a Sisyphean task. Piper continued to hold her head high, not for her own sake but for the sake of her family. But there were times like these when she just didn't think she had the strength to keep fighting any more. Times where it looked like magic was going to claim yet _another_ person close to the Halliwell family, close to her heart. _Don't think that way! _Piper mentally berated herself. _Paige is going to be just fine, we're all going to be just fine…_

Piper shook her head to clear the bad thoughts away. She gently pressed a kiss to her unconscious baby sister's sweaty forehead before going to Phoebe's side to read what she had found in the book.

_Praeter _

_A demon with the ability of energy balls, shimmering and invisibility. Although he is a low level demon, Praeter has been around for hundreds of years and has many demonic contacts throughout the underworld. Not much is known about him as he has always stayed off of good's radar, preferring to stay hidden. He can be vanquished using the potion below._

"Well, it's not much but it's enough." Phoebe said enthusiastically as Piper quickly read over the potion ingredients.

"And the potion is quite simple as well." Piper said as she made a quick mental list of what they needed. "I'm pretty sure we have everything we need downstairs in the kitchen. I'll go get the stuff so that we can make the potion up here and keep an eye on Paige at the same time." And with that, Piper left the attic and headed downstairs.

Phoebe's eyes trailed Piper out the door as she let out a sigh. She knew Piper was beating herself up after what Reichs had said. Phoebe plopped down on the seat next to Paige's side that Piper had occupied only a minute ago. Although she was trying to be strong for not only Paige's sake but for Piper's as well, this was hurting Phoebe a lot more than she let on. She hated seeing what these demons were doing to her family. She loved being a witch but it was times like these when she would have almost no hesitation giving up her powers. She would choose no powers over no sister any day of the week. Although she hadn't known Paige all of her life, she knew the instant that she met Paige that she loved her, forever and unconditionally. Phoebe had been the baby in the family all her life, always looking up to her older sisters while they were always looking down on her. When she found out she had a younger sister she was ecstatic. Finally she had someone to look after. Finally she had someone that could ask her for help if she was in trouble. Finally she had someone that she could be overly protective of. And Paige was that someone, just the thought of losing her was unthinkable to Phoebe. But looking down at Paige now and seeing her like this, knowing that it's only going to get unbearably worse for baby sister, immediately brought tears to Phoebe's eyes. She slowly reached out a hand and encased Paige's frail one in her own.

Phoebe was snapped out of her reverie in surprise when Paige groaned and squeezed Phoebe's hand in response. She quickly wiped her tears away as she saw Paige's eyes slowly flutter open.

"Why does everything hurt?" Paige half groaned, half mumbled as she tried to sit up.

Phoebe softly placed her hands on Paige's shoulders and gently pushed her back down onto the couch, trying not to cause her any more unnecessary pain. She was more than a little concerned about how out of it Paige sounded and the way her unfocused eyes seemed to take forever to focus. "Shhhh… Paige just lay back down, okay? Everything's going to be alright."

"Why the hell does it feel like I've been hit by a freight train?" Paige asked, opening her eyes and taking a good look around her before her eyes finally drifted onto Phoebe's hazy figure. She tried rubbing her eyes to try to clear her vision but as soon as she lifted her arms a wave of pain ripped through her from her stomach and settled in her already pounding head. She couldn't stop the cry of agony that escaped her as she gripped her head, hoping that it would somehow make the pain go away. However, all it seemed to do was make the pounding in her head intensify. She couldn't think, she couldn't move, the pain in her head increasing as she started to shake while slowly rocking backwards and forwards.

"Phoebe…" Paige finally managed to whimper out. "What's happening?... Please… Make it stop… Oh God… It hurts…Phoebe…Why is this happening?... Please, Phoebe… Help me…"

Phoebe could only watch on in horror as Paige begged her to help. Phoebe couldn't remember a time in her life when she had ever felt so useless. Here she sat helplessly on the side lines as her little sister was literally right in front of her writhing in agony. Piper had told her that earlier Paige had lost part of her memory and didn't remember anything about the attack. Somewhere in her brain Phoebe wondered if that's what was happening now, if Paige had forgotten about the poison and what was happening to her. In a way, that made it so much worse. To wake up and be in the worst possible pain you've ever experienced in your life and not even know why it's happening.

"Paige, sweetie. I want you to look at me." Phoebe began in the most calming voice she could muster despite the overwhelming sense of panic she could feel building up inside of her. She was rewarded when Paige pried open her eyes and looked straight into Phoebe's. Phoebe almost lost her resolve when she saw the tortured look in her little sister's eyes, but she somehow managed to keep her relaxed and calm façade from crumbling at the last second. "Just breathe, sweetie? Okay? In and out, it's that easy. Just watch me, okay?"

Phoebe started breathing slowly and steadily so that Paige could see her. In. Out. In. Out. To Phoebe's relief Paige started to join in on the rhythm as well. After a few seconds Paige's eyes slammed shut while her breathing started to speed up again.

"Paige. Open your eyes again, sweetie. Paige, you need to look at me. Paige."

Paige reluctantly opened her eyes once again to stare at Phoebe as she tried to block out the slowly receding pain inside her head. Phoebe continued to breathe with Paige as she gingerly reached over and started to rub her back at the same time.

"I'm okay now," Paige finally spoke up after a few minutes. "Thanks, Pheebs." Paige gave Phoebe a weak smile as she shifted slightly on the couch, wincing slightly as her stiff muscles ached.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Phoebe asked nervously after noticing Paige's wince.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just kinda sore, well, everywhere." Paige chuckled lightly before turning serious again. "So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?"

Phoebe sighed and looked around at anything but Paige. _This is what doctors must feel like when they have to tell families that their loved ones are dead, _Phoebe thought bitterly.

"Oh God, I'm dying aren't I?" Paige spoke up, successfully interrupting Phoebe's thoughts.

Phoebe's eyes widened in response as her jaw dropped to the floor. "What? Why would you even think that?"

"Well, you kinda got that 'how-do-I-tell-her-she's-going-to-die' look plastered on your face. Are you telling me that I'm wrong?" Paige knew she was right on the money, but she felt the need to ask Phoebe anyway in hopes that despite all the signs, she wasn't dying.

"I'm so sorry, Paige." Phoebe replied as she let a tear slip done her face.

That was all the confirmation that Paige needed, she was indeed dying. Although Paige didn't know all the details yet, she was more than sure that this was somehow magic related. But with her mind pulling up blanks in the memory department, Phoebe was the only one out of the two of them that actually knew what was really happening to her. Before Paige had a chance to even ask Phoebe how she ended up unconscious on Aunt Pearl's couch, Phoebe's resolve shattered into a million pieces and she broke down into tears. Paige sat stunned for a couple of seconds before immediately sitting up and wrapping her arms around her big sister despite her muscles screaming in protest at the sudden, jarring movements. She started to whisper soft comforts into her older sister's ear to try and calm her down.

Phoebe let out a small laugh as she pulled out of Paige's embrace and wiped the tears away from her face.

"Sorry," Phoebe said while giving Paige a shaky smile. "I've been holding that in for a while."

"I can tell." Paige replied giving Phoebe a small smile before carefully lying back down. "Look, Pheebs. I get that this must be difficult for you but I have to ask. What the hell is going on?"

At that moment it suddenly dawned on Phoebe that Paige still had no idea what was going on. "Oh yeah, Piper mentioned that your memory was a little wonky. She told me you couldn't remember things that had happened in the last couple of days." Phoebe continued when she saw Paige frown in confusion. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh…" Paige's frown deepened when she tried to remember exactly what had been happening lately. "Well…"

"Paige you're awake!" Piper spoke up enthusiastically as she walked into the attic holding potion supplies. Piper set them down on the table before kneeling next to her baby sister.

"Paige, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked cautiously. She noticed that when Piper walked in Paige's eyes had widened almost comically and her breathing had definitely sped up. At first Phoebe thought that maybe she was in pain again. But looking into Paige's eyes she didn't see any pain, just a mixture of shock and confusion.

"I think my memory problems are a lot worse than you thought they were, Phoebe." Paige managed to choke out after minutes of staring silently at Piper. Everything in Paige's head was telling her that something was terribly wrong, the pain spread throughout her body was proof enough of that. But Paige knew that this had to be more than just some physical injury that was the result of a routine demon attack gone bad. No, this was different. This was a lot worse. Whatever it was that was doing this to her had her sisters scared, and it took a lot to scare the tough skinned people in this family.

"What do you mean, Paige?" Piper spoke this time, worry laced through every word that fell from her lips.

"What I mean is that the last time I remembering seeing you…" Paige paused in the middle of her sentence as her eyes flickered from Piper's face, to her stomach and then back to her face again. "You were about 8 months pregnant."

_A/N: Again, I apologize for taking so long to update but with exams and stuff it made that pretty much impossible to do so. For some reason, I don't really like how this chapter turned out, there's just something about it that I just can't put my finger on. Anyway, please review and tell me what you guys thought of it because I would really love to know what you guys are thinking of this story! :D_


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